Monday, August 30, 2010

Wasteland Weekend is a three-day post-apocalyptic party in the desert. Friday, October 22nd to Sunday, October 24th 2010.

Join the hundreds of fans coming from all over the the United States (and beyond) to gather in the Southern California desert. Set up camp at our wasteland compound, surrounded by specially-built sets. Costumes are required and post-apocalyptic campsites and vehicles are encouraged. Live for three days in a world pulled straight out of the Mad Max movies, beyond the grip of so-called civilization.

Top DJs from all over will provide the soundtrack, fire dancers and bonfires will light up the night, and modified vehicles will shake the earth with their engines. Don’t miss it! Tickets on sale now.

A company called Vivos (Spanish for "the living") has been building bunkers in preparation for the apocalypse.

The current cost: $50,000 per adult
$25,000 per child under the age of 16
Pets - 1 allowed per owner (subject to restrictions)

One of Vivos’ shelters can support 200 people for one year in case of an apocalypse. The illustration above shows one level of a shelter.

California-based company Vivos is providing you and about 4,000 other people the chance to survive the end of the world. The company plans to build a network of 20 shelters near most major cities of the US. Each 20,000-square-foot shelter, which can hold up to 200 people, would be located about five stories underground with walls two to three feet thick. The shelters would be stocked with a year’s supply of “gourmet foods,” as well as medical and dental centers and even a movie theater.

Each shelter costs about $10 million to build, and Vivos is selling space in the price range of about $50,000 per person. So far, about 1,000 applications have been received for space in the shelters.

Once a certain number of applications have been received and candidates selected for a shelter location, Vivos will begin construction of the shelter. When completed, ownership will be turned over to the Vivos Owners’ Association, where the owners would be responsible for security and maintenance, contributing their own skills and expertise to ensure the long-term survival of the shelter. Vivos hopes to complete construction and commissioning of the nationwide network by December 21, 2012 (the end of the Mayan calendar, which is also a countdown clock on Vivos’ website).

As Vivos founder Robert Vicino explains, the shelters can withstand almost any global disaster that you might think of. Nuclear attacks, bio terrorism, chemical warfare, super volcano eruptions, asteroids, solar flares, tsunamis, earthquakes, pole shifts, the return of Planet X, social and political anarchy - all have the potential to wipe out humanity but could be survived by living in a Vivos shelter. In addition, Vivos notes that the end of the world has been predicted throughout history by such influential forces as the Mayans, Nostradamus, and the Bible. From such omens arises Vivos’ motto: “You can’t predict, but you can prepare.”

In addition to sparing the lives of 200 people, each shelter will also become a DNA depository, according to Vivos. Universities are invited to submit DNA samples of every living thing on Earth, along with seeds, which will be stored in refrigerated vaults. As Vivos’ website explains, “This will assure the greatest chance of future restoration of the world as we know it, regardless of the catastrophe. Vivos may prove to be the next ‘Genesis’ for Earth and a new beginning for Life.” The vaults will also contain off-road vehicles and hunting and fishing equipment for when returning to the surface.

Vivos, which is a privately funded venture with no religious affiliations, adds one more remark that might concern people: the world’s governments are already building underground shelters for the elite, leaving the rest of us to fend for ourselves.

The firm has already announced plans to build similar survival shelters in Europe.

Side note: I love that it has a movie theater. I wonder if it has cameras mounted on the outside to deliver a live stream of the doomsday action. Nothing says entertainment and "hey, pass the popcorn" like seeing the destruction of mankind while you lounge comfortably in your members only underground hotel in your fuzzy slippers sipping a martini.
What? You didn't think I was gonna let this one go without a snarky comment did you?

Official synopsis:
London Population: 7 million. Until Today.
In a not-too-distant future, the face of London has changed dramatically. Stung by ineffectual politics, a rapidly expanding population and the ravages of climate change it can no longer take the strain and collapses in on itself. Down from 7 million, now only 7 individuals remain and together they must form a new society in the face of a desperate, unforgiving future.

Jay and Seth Versus the Apocalypse follows two of the least likely men to survive the end of the world. In the eight and a half minute short film, two friends who have shut themselves in their apartment argue over potential escape plans. When the water-collection system they've build on their roof gets clogged, one of them must face whatever monsters or elements may be outside in order to fix it.

Source:Bull SourceSidenote - Gerald Celente is a trusted source for Trend Forecasting. He recently spoke to GoldSeek Radio about the economic outlook and neo-survivalism. I've just recently discovered his work during my personal research for this site and my fictional works. I'll definitely be following his ongoing commentary.

“The Crash of 2010 is underway,” says Celente. He foresees soaring gold prices as the markets go down. Celente believes there are plenty of opportunities out there, specifically with technology for the poor. He says the direction to go into is: less is more.

“This is going to be the age of the entrepreneur because the corporations are going to continue to slash and pay low wages. Those that are going to succeed are going to go out on their own.”

Celente says the only way to save the domestic economy is by buying amongst each each instead of supporting other countries as the US goes down. “The only way this country comes back is when we become a nation of merchants and manufacturers, of craftspeople and tradesmen, not of serfs, servants, and servitude.”
The trends expert gives the following advice on becoming a “Celente neo-survivalist”:

Eat high-quality food; buy local and organic

Meditate daily to quiet the mind

Learn how to protect yourself (i.e. close-combat practicing)

Prepare for winter by producing and preserving your own food; become self-sufficient and only spend money on quality

Get together with people of like-mind; have a support group for when times get tough

Have an escape plan ready to leave your current area

Celente expects the devaluation of the US dollar to occur the next time banks are closed by the government, like after an act of terror. He believes the new 1099 requirement on bullion purchases is the first step towards gold confiscation. Celente says everyone should be investing in themselves, their families, and their friends they believe in.

Even if they get nothing out of [the book], I hold myself free from harm, because I donated every penny that I make from this book to charity. I didn't keep any money from the book at all to help you survive the apocalypse. That's how much I care about you the reader. There’s a couple of different [charities the money will go to]: Fisher House, Three Square, a food bank in Las Vegas, our church, and then a couple more personal ones. The guy Big John, in the book, he passed away, and he’s got a five-year-old son, and he’s got a trust set up, so some of it’s for that as well. I kept no money from the book. It didn’t go to charities like the 'Forrest Griffin Needs a New Car Foundation.

The Track List:
1. Satellite 15 ... The Final Frontier
2. El Dorado
3. Mother of Mercy
4. Coming Home
5. The Alchemist
6. Isle of Avalon
7. Starblind
8. The Talisman
9. The Man Who Would Be King
10. When the Wild Wind Blows

AMC has greenlit The Walking Dead as a six-episode series based on the comic book written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics. The Walking Dead tells the story of life following a zombie apocalypse. It follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, traveling in search of a safe and secure home. Andrew Lincoln (Love Actually, Teachers, Strike Back) will portray the lead role of Rick Grimes while actor Jon Bernthal (The Pacific, The Ghost Writer) will portray the character Shane, who worked with Rick in the police department before the zombie disaster. Other cast includes Laurie Holden (The Shield), who plays Andrea, one of two sisters who join the survivors of the zombie plague, Steven Yeun as Glenn, an expert scavenger and Sarah Wayne Callies (Prison Break), who plays Rick's wife Lori.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Dead State is a compelling, high-tension RPG set at the beginning of the zombie apocalypse - a deadly illness is rampaging through the world, turning those infected into the walking dead. As society is beginning to fall apart, the player must organize a scant handful of allies, working on fortifying a shelter, scouting for food and supplies, making uncertain alliances with others, and attempting to hold together a group as humanity teeters on the brink of extinction. And although the zombies lurk as an ever present threat, the biggest obstacle to the player may just be other humans with the same goal: survival at any cost.

Rage is a groundbreaking first-person shooter set in the not-too-distant future after an asteroid impacts Earth, leaving a ravaged world behind. You emerge into this vast wasteland to discover humanity working to rebuild itself against such forces as raider gangs, mutants, and the Authority -- an oppressive government regime that has a special interest in you in particular. Featuring intense first-person action, vehicle combat, an expansive world and jaw-dropping graphics powered by id's revolutionary idTech 5 technology, Rage continues the legacy of design studio Id Software in delivering an experience like no other.

Synopsis:
In a world ravaged by a virus infection, turning its victims into the Undead, Alice continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Her deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights, but Alice gets some unexpected help from an old friend. A new lead that promises a safe haven from the Undead leads them to Los Angeles, but when they arrive the city is overrun by thousands of Undead and Alice and her comrades are about to step into a deadly trap.

"The human race shouldn't have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet," the renowned astrophysicist told the website Big Think, a forum which airs ideas on many subjects from experts.
"Our only chance of long-term survival is not to remain inward looking on planet Earth, but to spread out into space," he added.
He warned that the human race was likely to face an increased number of events that threaten its very existence, as the Cuban missile crisis did in 1962.
The Cold War showdown saw the United States and Soviet Union in a confrontation over Soviet missiles deployed in Cuba, near US shores, and brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.
"We are entering an increasingly dangerous period of our history," said Hawking.
"Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth are growing exponentially, along with our technical ability to change the environment for good or ill."
If we want to survive beyond the next century, "our future is in space," added the scientist.
"That is why I'm in favour of manned, or should I say 'personed', space flight."
His comments came after he warned in a recent television series that mankind should avoid contact with aliens at all costs, as the consequences could be devastating.

Official Plot Synopsis:
Priest is set in a world ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires. Paul Bettany is Priest, a legendary warrior priest during the last Vampire War, who now lives in obscurity among the other human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities controlled by the Church. But when his 18-year-old niece is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires in the desolate wastelands outside, Priest breaks his sacred vows and ventures out to find her and seek vengeance upon those responsible, especially their brutal leader (Karl Urban). Priest is joined on his crusade by his niece’s boyfriend, Hicks (Cam Gigandet), a local outpost sheriff, and Priestess (Maggie Q), a member of his former legion of vampire-killers who has otherworldly fighting skills.
***
Based on the TokyoPop's comic bookPriest: Genesis (Priest Ultimate Edition) Volume 1

Source: BBC News
Commentary: R. Van Saint
First thing I thought of when I saw the images for this story was the Dr. Who episode - Gridlock.

A massive traffic jam in China has slowed vehicles to a crawl for nine days near Beijing, local media say.

Vehicles, mostly lorries bound for Beijing, are in a queue for about 100km (62 miles) because of heavy traffic, road works and breakdowns.
The drivers have complained that locals were over-charging them for food and drink while they were stuck.
The situation has now "basically returned to normal," state television said on Monday.
There has been a boom in road building in China in recent years but vehicle use has soared at the same time.
The stalled traffic stretched between Jining in Inner Mongolia and Huai'an in Hebei province, north-west of Beijing, said the Global Times.
The road works which were obstructing traffic are necessary to repair damage caused by an increase in cargo lorries using the highway, the state-run newspaper said.
They are not expected to be finished until mid-September.
The motorway, part of the Beijing-Tibet expressway, is heavily used by lorries carrying coal from Inner Mongolia.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Images above link directly to games for PS3, X-box, or Special Collector's Edition (available for both systems)

Manufacturer's Description:
Welcome to Vegas. New Vegas.
It’s the kind of town where you dig your own grave prior to being shot in the head and left for dead…and that’s before things really get ugly. It’s a town of dreamers and desperados being torn apart by warring factions vying for complete control of this desert oasis. It’s a place where the right kind of person with the right kind of weaponry can really make a name for themselves, and make more than an enemy or two along the way.

As you battle your way across the heat-blasted Mojave Wasteland, the colossal Hoover Dam, and the neon drenched Vegas Strip, you’ll be introduced to a colorful cast of characters, power-hungry factions, special weapons, mutated creatures and much more. Choose sides in the upcoming war or declare “winner takes all” and crown yourself the King of New Vegas in this follow-up to the 2008 videogame of the year, Fallout 3.